Isla del Sol
| Isla del Sol | ||
|---|---|---|
| Waters | Lake Titicaca | |
| Geographical location | 16 ° 1 '14 " S , 69 ° 10' 35" W | |
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| length | 9.6 km | |
| width | 4.6 km | |
| surface | 14.3 km² | |
| Highest elevation | Cerro Checksan 4075 m |
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| main place | Cha'llapampa | |
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The Isla del Sol ( German " Sun Island ", Quechua Titiqaqa wat'a ) is an island in Lake Titicaca that belongs to Bolivia . The island is divided into three parishes, Ch'allapampa in the north, Ch'alla in the center and Yumani in the south. About 2000 people live on it.
history
The original name of the island was Titicaca , after which Lake Titicaca was later named. The origin of the name is not certain. It is said to be based on two Aymara words: titi means "big cat" and kak means "rock". Loosely translated it means "puma rock". In Quechua, on the other hand, titi means “lead” or “lead-colored”, qaqa means “rock”, thus “leaden (lead-colored) rock”.
In Inca mythology , the sun god Inti is said to have left his children, the first Inca Manco Cápac and his wife Mama Ocllo , on a rock on the Isla del Sol. So the Isla del Sol plays a very important role in the mythology of the Inca.
Another island in Lake Titicaca that is associated with Inca mythology is Isla de la Luna ( lunar island ).
tourism
From the Bolivian town of Copacabana there are regular excursion boats to Isla del Sol. The island is 14.3 km² and 1 km from the mainland, the Copacabana Peninsula . The highest point on the island ( Cerro Checksan ) is 4,075 m high (it rises 265 m above the level of Lake Titicaca).
Yumani is home to the Inca temple, the Inca stairs and the Inca fountain. In Ch'allapampa there is a gold museum and the Inca labyrinth ( Chinkana ). A little outside, between Ch'allapampa and Ch'alla are the ruins and the Roca Sagrada, which reflects the shape of a puma.
Currently the central and northern part of the island is closed to tourism due to a conflict between the municipalities of Ch'alla and Ch'allapampa. The dispute broke out in February 2017 over huts that were built near the ruin complex and, according to the Ch'allapampa municipality, endanger the ruins. As a result of the unresolved conflict, the Ch'alla municipality prevented tourists from reaching Ch'allapampa by boat or on foot. The boats for tourists land in the port of Yumani.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Javier Escalante: La Isla del Sol. Viceministerio de desarrollo de las Culturas, accessed February 16, 2018 (Spanish).
- ↑ paginasiete.bo: El conflicto comunal en la Isla del Sol se agudiza